Survivor 48 has been a surprising reflection on the first 40 seasons of the award-winning reality show despite it being a part of the "new era" which fans have felt drastically deviated from the previous format not only in days and advantages, but also in players and strategy.
But, one common thread of all 48 seasons still remains: outwit, outplay, outlast.
So when one of the physically strongest players to grace our screens in years decides to band together an alliance of physical threats who tell him they want to play a game based on honor and integrity, with no deception, it kind of eliminates part of the game and part of the reason fans love the show so much.
Survivor is a game about deception and that's what makes it so real
Once upon a time in 2000, a group of 16 strangers were tossed onto a beach in Malaysia and told that in 39 days the person who outlasted everyone would win $1 million dollars. They would start in two tribes and have to win challenges to avoid voting off their own members until eventually they started competing individually and the eliminated players would go to the jury and ultimately become the people who voted on which of the final two remaining players won the money.
And thus the social experiment that's lasted 24 years and nearly 50 season began.
But it didn't last because the castaways played the game that was set out for them. It was the players who came up with the idea of alliances within their predetermined tribes. It was the players who mastered the art of the blindside. It was the players who moved their chess pieces around a board they couldn't see from above.
Because you can't outplay and outlast without outwitting.
And while early seasons of Survivor often saw the most strategic end-game players punished by not awarding them the $1 million for being "dishonorable," the title of "Villain" wasn't necessarily a bad thing over time. Season 20 was built around ten fan favorites with reputations of "integrity and honor" (the Heroes) and ten known for their "deception and duplicity" (the Villains). And I'll give you two guesses who was sitting at the Final Four. It was all Villains.
Being a Villain doesn't necessarily mean you're a bad person; it means you're a strategic player
While yes, there are some Villains who are probably not the nicest people in the real world (*cough* Russell Hantz *cough*), there are also so many people with hearts of gold who now go into the game knowing that they are going to play "like a Villain" because that's what they need to do to win—be the most strategic.
But that no longer means causing chaos or driving negativity or throwing rice in the fire or hiding the machete. Especially since host and executive producer Jeff Probst has outright said that he is no longer looking to cast that type of player. "In the hands of somebody else...there would be more villains, more negativity, more yelling at each other...I’m just not interested in it."
So instead of "Villain," the new era has turned to the word "deception"
And at a certain point in original seasons, players respected the game well enough that even those who deceived them in a blindsiding move that sent them to the jury, earned their vote in the end. Why? Because they played the best game: outwit, outplay, outlast.
Though in the new era that hasn't always been the case, Survivor 47 seemed to turn the tide and award the title of Sole Survivor to the person who played the best game, not the person who made the most friends.
Now in a season where so many castaways are emphasizing playing a game worthy of the "Hero" title, it begs the question:
If the strength players end up getting blindsided and being sent to the jury, will they reward or punish the most strategic player in the end?
I personally hope that every player this season ultimately has enough respect for the game and for their fellow tribe mates to award the title of Sole Survivor to the person who played the best game inclusive of being strategic. If they truly want to be known for playing with honor and integrity, they'll consider all three gameplay facets of Survivor when making their final vote.
One week at a time, we're seeing how this season is unfolding and I'm loving it so far! Keep watching every Wednesday at 8 pm ET on CBS and Paramount+ to catch the latest episode of Survivor 48.